Dodgers Dugout: Mookie Betts, Ryan Ward and some random thoughts

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. It’s time for some random thoughts about the Dodgers.

—This team seems to make more costly errors than any Dodger team in recent memory.

—Why is James Outman, who is hitting .137/.245/.269 over his last two seasons with the Dodgers (including .103 this season), in the majors while Ryan Ward, who is hitting .315/.401/.614 with 26 homers at triple-A Oklahoma City, sits in the minors? Maybe Ward (who hit .258/.317/.543 with 33 homers last season in triple A) will flame out in the majors, but we know Outman can’t hit. We don’t know what Ward can do yet.

—Would moving from shortstop help Mookie Betts hit again? Let’s take a look at his numbers last season:

when he started at shortstop: .308/.407/.500, 15 doubles, nine homers, 39 walks, 29 K’s in 240 at bats.

at right field: .273/.324/.517, eight doubles, nine homers, 14 walks, 21 K’s in 161 at bats.

He hit better as a shortstop last season, so perhaps that isn’t the problem after all.

However, I think the Dodgers are much better defensively with Betts in right and Miguel Rojas (or someone else) at short.

—The Dodgers have played poorly lately, but we still won’t have any sense of what this team really is until after the trade deadline.

—Betts is 32 and has always had one of the slowest bat speeds in the majors. We could be looking at how he’s going to hit from now on. Probably not, but the days of 39 homers and 107 RBIs may be over, regardless if he rebounds this season or not.

—A lot of people have asked what is up with Charley Steiner, who called part of the first game of the season and nothing since. The Dodgers remain mum, but we do know he was battling cancer last season. We wish him well.

—Tyler Glasnow looked like an ace Tuesday, giving up one run in seven innings while striking out 12. If he can stay healthy, that will be huge come the postseason. That’s a big if though.

—Austin Barnes is hitting .174 (4 for 23) for the Giants in triple A. He singled off Blake Snell, who was pitching a rehab game for the Dodgers, so some things never change. If he could have faced Snell his whole career, he’d be in the Hall of Fame.

—Dalton Rushing, who came up when Barnes was released to provide more offense, is hitting .216/.280/.297 in 27 games. With the Dodgers this season, Barnes hit .214/.233/.286. It was still the right move to make, but it hasn’t worked out like expected so far.

—Max Muncy is ahead of schedule as he works to return from a bone bruise in his knee. In May, who would have thought we’d be eagerly awaiting the return of Muncy?

—Bobblehead nights I’d like to see: A duo of reliever Mike Marshall and outfielder Mike Marshall. John Shelby, pounding his glove just before a catch. Jay Howell, with a lot of pine tar on the outside of his glove. Pedro Guerrero, holding a bat with no glove in sight. Jerry Reuss no-hitter bobblehead. Mickey Hatcher two World Series home runs bobblehead. Steve Yeager blocking home plate, with that flap hanging down from his mask. Bill Buhler with that can of freeze spray he used. Brian Holton and Tim Crews, unsung heroes of the 1988 team. The 1988 “Stuntmen,” Hatcher, Rick Dempsey, Dave Anderson, Franklin Stubbs and Danny Heep. Jim Wynn and Lance Rautzhan, two of my favorite Dodgers.

—Blake Treinen could be back in the next couple of weeks.

—I don’t wish for anyone to be injured, but this forearm inflammation that is sidelining Tanner Scott could be a blessing in disguise, giving him a chance to reset mentally and come back like the Scott of old. He is a much better pitcher than he has shown so far.

—The Dodgers are hitting .212 in July.

—The league might be catching up to Hyeseong Kim. He is hitting .191 this month with only one extra-base hit and on walk in 47 at bats.

—Tommy Edman is seven for his last 49 (.143)

—Michael Conforto is hitting better than Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández this month.

—There are 59 games left to go and the Dodgers are still in first place. We can always examine the negatives, but we have to remember the positives too.

—Baseball Reference ran a simulation 1,000 times of the remaining games and the postseason. Here are the teams that won the World Series at least 20 times in those simulations:

Chicago Cubs, won World Series 175 times
Detroit, 125 times
Milwaukee, 114 times
NY Yankees, 105 times
Houston (no relation), 95 times
Dodgers, 72 times
Philadelphia, 61 times
Toronto, 49 times
NY Mets, 44 times
Boston, 31 times
Seattle, 30 times
San Diego, 26 times
Tampa Bay, 26 times
Texas, 23 times

Trade prospects?

The trade deadline was Thursday at 3 p.m. PT. The Dodgers have needs. They signed relievers (Scott, Kirby Yates) in the offseason so they wouldn’t have to trade for relief help, yet here we are. An outfielder could be nice. I’ve long since stopped guessing what Andrew Friedman will do at the deadline, because it’s almost always something unexpected. Instead, we will look at the top players available at positions it seems the team needs help. Click on the player name to be taken to their stats page at Baseball Reference. They are listed in alphabetical order and stats are through Wednesday.

Starting pitchers

Sandy Alcantara, Miami: Won the NL Cy Young in 2022. Missed last season after Tommy John surgery, so you know that makes him extra appealing to the Dodgers. Has a 6.66 ERA this season, which I’m told is not very good.

Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh: Is only 4-10 with a 3.53 ERA and is owed $56 million over the next three seasons, so this seems unlikely, but possible.

Seth Lugo, Kansas City: Lugo throws nine different pitcher (think Rich Hill, only right-handed.) Finished second in AL Cy Young voting last season after going 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA. Has a 2.95 ERA this season.

Relief pitchers

Félix Bautista, Baltimore: It would take a slew of prospects to get him, but Bautista has thrown 161 innings in the majors and struck out 248 to go with a 2.01 ERA.

David Bednar, Pittsbugh: A two-time All-Star who has rebounded from a terrible 2024 season (5.77 ERA), Bednar would probably cost the least, as far as prospects go, in a trade. Led the league with 39 saves in 2023.

Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland: Had one of the best seasons ever by a closer last season (4-2, 47 saves, 0.61 ERA, 39 hits and 10 walks in 74.1 innings) but is having his worst season this year, if you can call 5-2, 22 saves and a 2.80 ERA “worst.”

Jhoan Durán, Minnesota: His fastball averages 100 mph. Had an off year last season (3.64 ERA), but has rebounded, posting a 1.94 ERA and 15 saves in 46.1 innings, giving up 37 hits and 16 walks while striking out 51.

Pete Fairbanks, Tampa Bay: He’s 31, but has added velocity to his fastball this season.

Ryan Helsley, St. Louis: Had 49 saves last season, but not quite as successful this season. 34 innings, 34 hits, 14 walks is not a shutdown reliever.

Griffin Jax, Minnesota: Has struck out 68 in 44 innings, but also has a 4.09 ERA. His FIP is 2.07 though, so he has been a bit unlucky.

Cade Smith, Cleveland: Only in his second season, he drew Cy Young votes as a rookie last year, when he struck out 103 in 75.1 innings. Has struck out 64 in 43.1 innings this season as the stup man for Clase. Could the Dodgers send over a package that could land them Clase, Smith and Kwan? They are one of the few teams that could.

Outfielders

Jarren Duran, Boston: Having an off season by his standards but finished eighth in MVP voting last season.

Steven Kwan, Cleveland: A three-time Gold Glove in left who hits for average and draws walks.

Cedric Mullins, Baltimore: He would give the Dodgers a true center fielder, but just an average bat. Hit 30 homers in 2021, but hasn’t had more than 18 since.

Luis Robert, Jr., Chicago White Sox: Good glove, and used to be able to hit, but not anymore. Hitting .206 this season. Continually linked to the Dodgers in trade rumors, but, well, let’s hope not.

Please note that this is not an all-encompassing list. It’s mainly the names that have been linked to the Dodgers at one point over the last several weeks. It doesn’t include players such as Jesús Sánchez, Bryan Reynolds or Mason Miller, who are also possibilities.

And, time for the warning I give out every year: Don’t fall for every rumor you see online. Some sites will try to lure you in with a headline such as “Dodgers, Rays discuss Mookie Betts deal” when what happened was the Rays GM called the Dodgers and asked “Any chance you will trade Mookie Betts?” And the Dodgers say “No.” Technically, they discussed a Betts deal, but did they really? If you want to keep track of what’s going on with the Dodgers, Jack Harris has it covered for us at latimes.com/sports/dodgers. Jack takes a look at the trade deadline here. For a broader picture, I recommend mlbtraderumors.com.

Ohtani ties record

Shohei Ohtani homered in his fifth consecutive game Wednesday, tying the Dodger record. A look:

Home runs in five consecutive games:

Ohtani, July 19-23, 2025 (five home runs total)
Max Muncy, Aug. 15-21, 2019 (five)
Joc Pederson, May 31-June 3, 2015 (five)
Adrián González, Sept. 27, 2014-April 8, 2015 (seven)
Matt Kemp, Sept. 28-Oct. 3, 2010 (five)
Shawn Green, July 21-25, 2001 (five)
Roy Campanella, June 11-17, 1950 (five)

A Dodger has homered in four straight games 35 times, including four times by Duke Snider and twice by Pedro Guerrero, Matt Kemp, Gary Sheffield and Reggie Smith.

Welcome back

Rich Hill, a fan favorite when he pitched for the Dodgers back when Gerald Ford was president, signed with the Kansas City Royals and gave up only one run in five innings of his first start. Hill, 45, is pitching for his 14th majors league team, tying the record set by former Dodger top prospect Edwin Jackson.

Hill has played for:

Angels
Baltimore
Boston
Chicago Cubs
Cleveland
Dodgers
Kansas City
Minnesota
NY Mets
NY Yankees
Oakland
Pittsburgh
San Diego
Tampa Bay

Players to play for 13 teams
*Octavio Dotel

12 teams
*Mike Morgan
Matt Stairs
Ron Villone

11 teams
*Paul Bako
Miguel Batista
*Henry Blanco
Bruce Chen
Royce Clayton
Bartolo Colon
Joe Gerhardt
LaTroy Hawkins
*Kenny Lofton
*Deacon McGuire
*Terry Mulholland
*Dennys Reyes
Fernando Rodney
Julian Tavarez
*Gus Weyhring
Rick White
*Todd Zeile

*-played for the Dodgers

Worst month?

The Dodgers are 6-11 this month. Have they had any months where they finished .500 or worse since their postseason streak began in 2013?

Months at .500 or worse by the Dodgers since 2013:

May, 2013, 10-17, .370
July, 2025: 7-11, .389
September, 2017: 12-17, .414
April, 2018: 11-14, .440
September, 2013, 12-15, .444
July, 2024: 11-13, .458
April, 2016: 12-13, .480
May, 2018: 14-14, .500
May, 2014: 15-15, .500
June, 2015: 15-15, .500
June, 2023: 12-12, .500

Note: This does not include short months (March or October) when they may have gone 0-1 or 2-3.

Up next

Friday: Dodgers (Emmet Sheehan, 1-1, 4.41 ERA) at Boston (Brayan Bello, 6-4, 3.23 ERA), 4:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Saturday: Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 4-1, 3.27 ERA) at Boston (*Garrett Crochet, 11-4, 2.19 ERA), 4:15 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Sunday: Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 0-0, 1.50 ERA) at Boston (Walker Buehler, 6-6, 5.72 ERA), 10:35 a.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Beyond the bullpen, how aggressive will the Dodgers be at the MLB trade deadline?

Dodgers put Tanner Scott on IL, but hopeful he returns this season

Rich Hill isn’t finished yet. Former Dodgers and Angels player will pitch for his 14th MLB team

Hernández: ‘Still a threat.’ Why Shohei Ohtani needs to remain a two-player for Dodgers

From a day off to the leadoff spot, Dodgers try unraveling mystery of Mookie Betts’ slump

And finally

The Dodgers score five runs in the second inning of Game 2 of the 1988 World Series, including a key homer by Mike Marshall. Watch and listen here.

Until next time…

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.